The Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBEE 15, 1880. THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL'S REPORT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 45, 15 September 1880, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBEE 15, 1880.

THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL'S REPORT.

The report of the Surveyor- General for 1879-80 is a highly interesting document, and especially worthy of the attention of our readers, because the experience of the department, derived from the working of the system adopted in this provincial district, serves to point a moral and adorn the tale told by Mr. McKerrow. At a time when retrenchment is the watchword of the day, it is satisfactory to be r - able to point to one large department, in which, owing to the work in arrears having heen largely overtaken lately, an opportunity for great reductions will shortly be afforded, without the convenience of the public being in any way curtailed thereby. The total expenditure last year was in round numbers £100,000. Uf this amount, it appears from the report that : — " Of rural and suburban land, 925,838 acres have been surveyed into 6628 sections, at an average cost varying from lOJd. to Is. 7d. per acre for each land district except Taranaki, where the cost is 2s. lOd. per acre. In that district the surveys are all in bush, and during last year were nearly all in the country behind Mount Egmont, where there is much rain. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the surveys are exceedingly well done, and the cost under the circumstances is not unreasonable. About 220,000 acres only were surveys before selection, and of that area 50,000 acres have been surveyed for public bodies ; leaving 170,000 acres as the area the surveys of which have been initiated by the Government and the Land Boards. The interest of the public in the surveys centres, as it were, in this 170,000 acres ; for included within that area are nearly all the blocks that were offered during the year for selection under the systems of defei-red payment, agricultural lease, and village settlement. As yet, only about twothirds of the 170,000 acres have been offered for selection, and it was taken up, nearly all, as soon as offered. In other words, the rate of settlement very much depends on the area of suitable land the Survey Department can prepare for selection. Thus, in Taranaki and Otago, where the surveys are not any in arrear, but, on the contrary, are kept in advance of the selector, the greatest amount of settlement has tbken place. Wherever the land is suitable for occupation, the surveys should be pushed on. There is no fear of getting 1 too far in advance of the requirements of the country. The surveys have never yet, in those land districts where the land is surveyed before selection,got so f ar in advance of settlement that a time did not soon come when all the land surveyed was taken up. It is quite true that" in some blocks there may be a residuum of inferior sections that do not go off for a while, but that is no reason why other blocks should not be prepared, On the Ist July last there were in arrear 719,075 acres of section or settlement survey, of which 580,000 acres are arrear surveys which must be done to place purchasers in possession. The balance of 139,000 acres are surveys of deferred payment and other blocks, ordered by Land Boards , and Government. The department should pretty well dispose of this area during the current year."

Attention is also drawn to the preparation and issue of sale-maps of settlement survey drawn to the scale of an inch to the mile, which is not only a great convenience to the public, but also a saving of expense to the department, as it saves the cost of preparing tracings. Of native surveys, 106,000 acres, and of triangulation 4,150,000 acres, were completed during the twelve months ended on 30th June last.